Ian Madsen is back on track with title win

By
MARTIN AGATYN

Feb. 10, 2014, 1 a.m.

NEW South Wales speedway driver Ian Madsen made amends for a disappointing Australian championship campaign at Latrobe earlier this month by scoring a dominant win in the CJD Equipment South Pacific Sprintcar Championship at Carrick on Saturday night.

NEW South Wales speedway driver Ian Madsen made amends for a disappointing Australian championship campaign at Latrobe earlier this month by scoring a dominant win in the CJD Equipment South Pacific Sprintcar Championship at Carrick on Saturday night.

Madsen crossed the line in second place at the national title at Latrobe, but was disqualified post-race when his car came in underweight.

"I've been eating burgers all week to make sure I made the weight," Madsen joked after his win at Carrick.

Starting from pole position in the 35-lap final, Madsen led from start to finish, negotiating his way through lapped traffic with consummate ease, to maintain a healthy gap on the field for most of the race.

Despite being fourth on points heading into the final, reigning Tasmanian champion Jamie Bricknell, of Launceston, actually qualified on pole position after beating Madsen, Forest driver Mark House and Kurt Luttrell, of Latrobe, in a top-four shoot-out.

Bricknell elected to start the final on the outside, but could only hold Madsen back for one lap, before the experienced NSW speedster found a way through to the lead.

The final was littered with crashes and stoppages, with a number of contenders not going the distance.

However, Madsen and Bricknell managed to avoid any of the carnage to finish first and second, with Devonport's Adam Alexander, who started from grid six in the final, driving a sensible race to claim third place in his best ever career result.